


The Deanna Troi Effect

by Beth Harker (Beth_Harker)



Series: Star Trek references [4]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Established Relationship, Kissing, M/M, Post-Canon, Star Trek as a vehicle for talking about feelings, Very stealth references to do you wanna hang, pot use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29450715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beth_Harker/pseuds/Beth%20Harker
Summary: Jeremy Heere wants two things in life:1.  To be kissed by Michael.2.  To have a fictional mind-reading alien follow him around and make others aware of his innermost feelings.
Relationships: Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell
Series: Star Trek references [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692367
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	The Deanna Troi Effect

**Author's Note:**

> In case you are going into this without knowing Star Trek the Next Generation, Deanna is an alien psychologist who can sense the emotions of others. She’s an amazing character who unfortunately often got used to do nothing other than state the obvious.

Michael and Jeremy are watching Star Trek the Next Generation and trying out pot gummies— a gift from Brooke. She’d hooked Jeremy up with them upon finding out he had asthma. They come in a glossy black bag with an artistically rendered strawberry on the front, the words _Made With Real Fruit_ emblazoned upon it in a swirl of gold lettering. All in all, it’s a way fancier experience than either of the boys are used to. It works out better for Jeremy, as well. Not having to bully his lungs into accepting irritating breathfuls of smoke has resulted in probably the nicest high Jeremy has ever experienced. He loves so many things! Nighttime, potato chips, Geordi LaForge, Micheal, not coughing. Life is good!

On the TV, a Very Angry looking Klingon flickers Very Angrily onto the Enterprise’s view screen. 

“I sense great... anger,” says Deanna Troi. 

Michael giggles. 

“Such fury!” Deanna continues, looking pained. 

Michael collapses into laughter, burying his face in Jeremy’s neck, one arm wrapping around Jeremy’s waist. They’re sitting on Michael’s bed, leaning back against the headboard, and Michael is practically in Jeremy’s lap. His breath tickles warmly against Jeremy’s neck. Jeremy can feel it in his stomach and his toes. It’s a lot. 

“Such fury!” Michael says, as he starts to recover. He pulls away from Jeremy, still laughing to himself. The angry Klingon on the TV has resorted to shooting the Enterprise. “How is he feeling now, Counselor?” Michael asks, in a fake British accent that Jeremy can only assume is meant to be a Captain Picard impression. 

Cautiously, Jeremy puts an arm around Michael’s shoulder. Michael leans into it. They’ve been dating for a few weeks now, but Jeremy still sucks at initiating stuff. It’s hard for Jeremy to shake his inner Squip telling him he’s doing it all wrong, so Jeremy falls back into acting like he and Michael are just good buddies a lot of the time, all the while searching for ways to goad Michael into making the more-than-friends part of their relationship happen. To make matters worse, Jeremy has days where he can’t cope with things happening. Shit doesn’t always align right.

Deanna’s got Captain Picard in his ready room now, where she’s filling him in on the intricacies of Klingon emotions. 

“Y’know, I used to wish Deanna was a real person,” says Jeremy.

“You thought she was hot,” Michael guesses. 

“Yeah but...”

“Marina Sirtis is a real person! But, oh yeah! Almost forgot. She’s _oold_.”

“Yeah. But. That’s not what I meant. I mean, I wanted Deanna to be real, and be like... I don’t know. Like she is on the show. A conveniently placed wandering psychologist who can read people’s mind and explain their emotions.”

“Ah,” says Michael. “Sounds legit. It’d make it harder for Chloe to act all smiley and nice when she’s actually out for blood.”

Jeremy shrugs. “Not what I meant.”

“What did you mean?”

Jeremy shrugs again. Michael’s hand is resting on Jeremy’s knee. Jeremy traces Michael’s fingers with his own. Now, if Deanna Troi were around, maybe she’d have a better time explaining Jeremy’s thoughts to Michael than Jeremy usually does, and that’s the point. Since Betazoids are fictional, Jeremy’s stuck trying to explain things all on his own. 

Jeremy takes a deep breath. “Actually, I kind of wished she’d tell people how I was feeling, like she does on the show. ‘Cause, like, with mom I could have been jumping up and down screaming like the Klingon on TV, and she would’ve thought that I was faking it, but Deanna could have told her that I wasn’t. Or, like, with teachers at school she could’ve told them how shitty I felt for messing things up all the time, and then maybe they would know I was trying. Sorry. That came out kinda heavy. I’m not upset or whatever. It was just like... this weird thing that I used to daydream about.”

“I used to daydream that I was Data, so I’d have an excuse for being weird,” Michael says.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Specifically in that scene in Star Trek Generations, where he’s just got his emotion chip, and he’s singing about life forms, being bizarre as fuck and no one is holding it against him ‘cause he’s Data.”

Jeremy wishes he could say he’s never once held Michael singing the life form song against him, but that would be a lie. Michael used to sing that song a lot in seventh grade, usually directing it loudly towards whatever (definitely formless and 100 percent not alive) slop they got served up in the school cafeteria. The looks that the other students shot towards their table whenever Michael had done that had shook Jeremy more than level ten photon torpedoes.

“You can sing the life form song if you want,” Jeremy offers. They aren’t seventh graders any more, and they aren’t at school.

Michael sings. 

“Soo,” Michael drawls. “What would counselor Troi have to say about your feelings if she were here?”

“That I’m sorry,” Jeremy says. 

“What for?”

“I dunno. Just kinda always am. I also want you to kiss me. Like a lot. So I guess she’d—”

Michael interrupts Jeremy, kissing him on the lips. “Like that?”

Jeremy nods. “Yeah. But, _a lot_ and...” Jeremy turns his face, to keep Michael from capturing his lips again. “On the other side of the bed. I don’t like the headboard behind me. Makes me feel trapped.” 

“Yeah. Of course,” Michael says. He moves off of Jeremy. He seems excited and concerned all at the same time. “You never told me about the wall thing before.”

“Um. Yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t. That’s why I used to wish for... y’know. With Deanna. And...” Jeremy reddens, because whatever he’d imagined in the past about Deanna Troi’s potential to trail him around and explain his psyche to other people, he hasn’t ever imagined her third-wheeling while things got heavy between him and Michael. “You know what? I think she’s served her purpose. I’ll tell you what I’m feeling by myself for now on.”


End file.
